The process of rescuing a person suspected of suffering spinal trauma is well known. Generally, the patient is prepared for transport by the emergency medical team by first attaching a cervical collar to immobilize the head, neck and shoulders so that they are kept as motionless as possible with regard to each other. Depending on the type and nature of the accident, it is the goal of the rescue team to get the patient on a spine board to limit motion of the patient. Once on the board, the patient's head is further restrained from movement by placing a head immobilizer on the board at each side of the patient's head. There are a number of products and methods available for accomplishing this task from blanket rolls on each side of the head, to padded vertical plates that can be attached to the spine board via board engagement means such as hook and loop fasteners.
Next the patient's head is secured to the board with any number of restraint means such as but not limited to straps provided with hook and loop fasteners, cravats, tape or other fixture means. FIG. 1 is an example of a conventional prior art spine board 10 having an array of elongated handhold openings 12 spaced about the peripheral edge of the board. These handhold opening 12 serve the dual purpose of handholds for physically manipulating the board as well as providing apertures through which straps S (also shown, for example, in the inventive embodiment shown in FIG. 3) may be passed for securing a patient to the board.
Regardless of the method used to secure the patients head to the board, preparing the patient for transport on the conventional spine board typically requires an additional step of taping the head in two places, or otherwise securing the head onto the spine board. To accomplish this, depending on how the head was secured to the board, the board holding the patient might need to first be lifted off its resting surface enough to either pass the attachment straps or adhesive tape under and around the board, or around and through the slots. To pass tape or other securing means under the board will require the lifting of the board and patient. The process of lifting the board to secure a patient can be difficult and time consuming, and possibly dangerous especially when the board is on an unstable surface, or a surface such as grass, dirt, snow, ice, mud or the like because it requires extra personnel that may not be available, or, diluting the efforts of those already on the scene. The problem is further exacerbated when operating in confined spaces. It is critically important that the patient be properly immobilized on the spine board for transport and equally important that the process is carried out in the most expedient manner possible to ensure the patient is delivered to a medical facility expeditiously, especially if the patient has suffered significant trauma. Any extra time required to secure the patient properly can impede timely delivery to a medical facility, and may naturally have an adverse affect on the patient's prognosis.
When using a conventional spine board, materials that are used to secure the patient's head must be either passed through the handhold openings 12 between front and back sides of the spine board (also shown, for example, in the inventive embodiment shown FIG. 3), wrapped around the board, taped to the board, or in some other way attached to the board to secure the patient's body to the spine board. Because both ends of each and all the handles are integrated into the spine board, a pre-formed loop at one end of a loop-end strap cannot be attached to the handle.
The last step is to secure to the spine board the head immobilizer (whatever method is used) and the cervical collar. The head immobilizer with the head sandwiched therein is secured about the forehead and also about the chin of the patient to the spine board. The patient, the head immobilizer, and the cervical collar are then secured to the spine board (making a “single mechanical unit”). This is usually done by wrapping adhesive tape completely around the spine board the head immobilizer, the cervical collar, and the spine board with or by using pre-manufactured straps with hook-and-loop fasteners at each end.
Conventional spine boards typically require lifting the spine board with the patient thereon off the ground again to wrap the head of the patient to the board using, for example, adhesive table. The head end of the spine board with the patient secured thereon is lifted off the ground so that several rotations of adhesive tape can be wrapped around the head of the patient to securely secure the head of the patient to the board. This activity, where the board is lifted with the patient so that the adhesive tape can be brought under the board further delays rescue and provides additional opportunity for slips and falls. Furthermore, if adhesive tapes are used to secure the patient, tape is extremely difficult to handle while wearing BSI (body substance isolation) gloves or anything on the hands, and hook-and-loop fasteners may fail due to dirt, snow, ice, grass, or other debris at the accident site. Also, handling adhesive tape is time consuming and difficult to handle and is rendered ineffective or worse in the rain and snow, or at a dark accident site.
Further, since conventional spine boards have head area handhold openings and body area handhold opening disposed at predetermined and fixed positions, it may also be difficult to accommodate differently sized patients, for example, to secure a small-size patient, such as, a three-feet-tall child, to a spine board made for a full-size patient, such averaged size adult about five feet ten inches tall, or vice versa.